Architecture BA(Hons)

How this course is delivered

COVID-19 has changed everything. We’ve made some changes to the way our courses are taught to keep everyone safe and that will help you stay connected and involved in university life.

From the start of term in September, you’ll learn through a blend of on-campus and digitally enabled remote learning that will provide lots of opportunities to interact and engage. Together with carefully managed access to libraries, labs, workshops and studios this means your studies are as collaborative, practical and flexible as possible.

Why study with us

• Choose your own route through the course; focus on the issues that matter to you and develop your own attitudes as an architect and designer.
• While you are here the studio is your space and where you will work both on your own and collaboratively, preparing you for professional practice.
• Combine the hands on and academic; the tactile pleasure of making, drawing and building, and high-level academic conceptual and theoretical work.
• Our course team of practising architects, researchers and designers working in other areas of creative practice, will inspire you to explore diverse fields in your work.
• Exhibit your work throughout the course, culminating in the Graduate Show in your final year where you’ll showcase the skills and experience you have developed.

Structure and study areas 

One of the amazing things about studying architecture is how broad a subject it can be. It's not just a combination of art and science, it’s a fusion of all kinds of different ways of thinking and making, from the creative arts to applied science to the humanities. We emphasise this breadth, drawing on our rich heritage as an art school and our vibrant culture of research. You will work in a way that is both hands on and academically rigorous, combining critical and creative thinking in everything you do.

The course is organised in four subject areas: design studio, humanities, technology and professional practices.

Design Studio is the heart of the course. In first year you will explore your experiences of buildings and public spaces, developing creative ways of thinking and making that you can use to design buildings of your own. In second and third year you will select one of a series of specific projects, focusing on contemporary issues such as the housing crisis, migrancy, local community, the circular economy, public space, urban agriculture and heritage amongst others. You will be supported by specialist practitioners and researchers, benefitting from their expert insight. Dedicated studio spaces mean that you have a space to work from on every day of the week throughout your degree, so you will be able to maximise the ambition of your work.

Humanities Explore the history, theory and culture of architecture. You will do this in relation to contemporary issues, learning from history not just about it. You will build knowledge of the context in which you are working as well as specialising in an area of particular interest to you. You will develop skills in critical thinking and reflection that will feed into all your studies. 

Technology Learn the underlying principles of environmental science, structural engineering, and material systems, and apply these to your own design projects. You will be supported by professional architects who will share their knowledge of innovative approaches to how to construct a building.

Professional Practices Prepare for the roles and responsibilities you will have as an architect. Again, you will not learn about these in isolation but will apply aspects such as building regulations, cost control, and planning permission to your own project, so you are ready for your first job.

Year 1 

In year 1 you'll begin with modules which build on your direct experience of architecture, working from precedents and everyday spaces. Modules build on and support one other, gradually becoming specialised in the four main themes: design, humanities, technology, and professional practices.

Modules

• Experiencing Architecture

  This module will expose you to the essential architectural concerns of the body in space, the occupation of an actual site, and the impact of a spatial intervention on a place. Your first design project introduces you to the skills and techniques to serve you as a young architectural designer.

• Design, Technology and Professional Practices

  This module will expose you to a broad range of architectural concerns, from site context through to material construction. You will develop and expand upon investigations and skills initiated earlier in the academic year to produce a design for a small to medium sized building in response to a given brief.

• Architectural Humanities 1

  The module introduces you to the history and theory of architecture. It pays particular attention to the development of modern architecture since the 18th century. This will include its sociopolitical, cultural, and environmental contexts as well as its relations to traditional building and non-Western architecture. You will learn to interpret writings and buildings, to develop your reading and writing skills, and to make use of the fundamental conventions of academic writing.

• Reading Architecture

  This module will introduce you to different approaches that can be applied to analyse buildings, through the lenses of design, humanities and technology. Deconstructing a building through these lenses will lead you to a deeper understanding of architectural design considerations; this is an essential knowledge base that can be carried forward to your future design work.

Year 2 

Modules

• Design: Studio Project 1
• Design: Studio Project 2
• Architectural Humanities 2
• Technology and Professional Practices

Options*

• Edible Campus
• Critical Spacial Practice in Public
• Reimagining the House
• Excursion in Immensity: The shape of a walk
• Collection
• Digital Craftsperson

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

In your second and third years you will choose different projects (called studios) which address questions including the housing crisis, circular economy and urban space.

These projects allow you to explore different ways of working and develop new techniques and skills.

Projects are linked to the expertise in the teaching team, enabling you to connect with that expertise and to explore issues highlighted within each project.

Find out more about our BA Studios.

Final year

Modules

• Design: Studio Project 3
• Design: Studio Project 4
• Technology
• Architectural Humanities 3: Dissertation
• Professional Practices

Facilities 

Facilities and workshops are supported by full-time specialist technicians and include:

• dedicated studio spaces for each group and programme
• specialist model-making and construction workshops with equipment for fabrication in wood, metal, plastics, resins and textiles
• photographic studios and darkroom
• digital fabrication facilities including laser cutting and 3D printing
• rapid prototyping, 5-axis milling and CNC routing facilities
• PC and Mac computer suites with software including Adobe suite (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator), Vectorworks, Autodesk suite, Rhino, Blender, Maya, Cinema 4D and Premiere
• in-house reprographic department 
• wide range of surveying and audio-visual equipment available for loan.

Check out the 360 videos of our workshops and photography studio. 

Meet the team

Dr Ben Sweeting, course leader
Ben studied architecture at the University of Cambridge and the Bartlett, UCL and has worked in practice in London and Oxford. His research, which has been funded by the AHRC and the Andrew W Mellon Foundation, explores ethical and epistemological questions in relation to architecture, drawing on ideas from cybernetics and on practice-based research. Ben teaches on humanities and design modules and leads Studio 01, which explores themes of scale, place and the public realm in rural and urban contexts.

Podcast: listen to Ben talking about the importance of architecture, being a course leader and his research interest in cybernetics.

Duncan Baker-Brown, senior lecturer 
Duncan Baker-Brown is a practicing architect as well as a senior lecturer in architecture. He has practised, researched and taught around issues of sustainable development for over 25 years and has worked on projects as diverse as The Greenwich Millennium Village in London with Ralph Erskine, the RIBA’s House of the Future, and more recently the multi-award-winning New Country House and Estate Master Plan in Hadlow Down East Sussex. Author of The Re-Use Atlas: a designer’s guide towards a circular economy, published by RIBA, he is perhaps best known for a series of thought-provoking ‘house’ projects testing issues of sustainable design and resource management including The House that Kevin Built in 2008 and The Brighton Waste House in 2014.

Podcast: Duncan talks about the FutureBuild exhibition at ExCeL, the Waste House and the circular economy.

Find out about the rest of the course team
Tilo Amhoff, Katy Beinart, Libby Blundell, Alex Chalmers, Kate Cheyne, Luis Diaz, Pedro Gil, Phil Hall-Patch, Claire Hoskin, Michael Howe, Dr Karin Jaschke, Ade Krumins, Anuschka Kutz, Stefan Lengen, Sam Lynch, Pete Marsh, James McAdam, Catalina Mejia Moreno, David Osborne, Graham Perring,Tony Roberts, Stephen Ryan, Dr Ryan Southall, Kirsty Sutherland, Professor Andre Viljeon, Dawn Whitaker, Sophie Yetton. 

Dr Ben Sweeting

Duncan Baker-Brown outside the Waste House

Student views

Emily Llumigusin, graduate 2020

"Overall, I had a great experience studying at Brighton with its occasional ups and downs throughout the years. The architecture community is strong and caring for its staff and students. I loved working in the studio with my course friends as we all helped and learned from each other.

Being a member of the BIAAS society (architecture society) was enjoyable as we organised some memorable events and activities for the students to help raise money for our end of year show. My tutors were all very supported and dedicated by helping me through guidance and motivation to keep challenging my work.

There were some difficult moments I had during the course – the staff members were very considerate by dealing with my situation carefully through additional support to keep me going. During this COVID outbreak, it has been challenging times for all but the course did not turn their backs and kept supporting us in this transition into online teaching."

Hannah Millett, graduate 2020

"A key aspect of the department is the support available to students within it. Whether its dealing with uni related stress or having a serious discussion about mental health, our Student Support and Guidance Tutor will listen and advise.

The fact that this support is physically present in the department not only is a visible reminder of the deep care staff have for their students but means it is as accessible as physically possible, and students may have been less likely to find support otherwise.”

Barnaby’s final year project was centred around the consumerist nature of society and placed his structure in the local village of Rottingdean. 

International requirements and visas

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Visas and immigration advice

Portfolio advice 

Online portfolios are requested via the admissions portal after applications are received. Applicants will be advised where to send the portfolio to at that time. Applicants should not send or forward portfolio before this.

Your portfolio should be created on a blogging site: Carbonmade, Dropbox or Flickr. Please make sure that the portfolio is publicly viewable and does not require a log in or account to view. The portfolio should include up to 20 images of your work (JPEGs). These should include preparatory drawings and studies as well as finished pieces, and be focused as much as possible on work which you are most actively interested in pursuing.

Please note that we do not expect to see architectural work; we are looking for a variety of work in different media showing your ability to experiment and utilise different media and techniques. At least half the images should be non-computer (CAD or other) generated work. You may want to add a brief statement about your images and work, telling us more about the ideas and interests that underpin your current work, and your ambitions.

Course fees

What's included

You may have to pay additional costs during your studies, although we have tried to keep this to a minimum. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. A summary of the costs that you may be expected to pay, and what is included, whilst studying a course in the School of Architecture and Design are listed below:

• In your first year of studies, you will need to buy a drawing and modelling toolkit. Each course will suggest a list of items of which some will be essential, and others optional. You should budget around £100–£250 for these.
• For most courses you will need to budget between £100 to £300 per year for printing and portfolio costs. Costs will vary depending on type of printer and type and size of paper used. Some students tend to work digitally, spending more on printing and some by hand, spending more on materials so these costs vary widely between students.
• Most essay and report submissions can be made online however, you should budget around £25 for printing and binding dissertations in your final year.
• For most courses you will need to budget between £10 and £100 for material costs per design project. Costs will vary depending on how and what you use to make models. You are encouraged to recycle used materials where possible.
• Course books are available from the university but you may wish to budget from £15 to £100 per year to buy your own copies and subscribe to design magazines.
• You will have access to computers and necessary software, however many students choose to buy their own hardware, software and accessories. The amount spent will depend on your individual choices but this expenditure is not essential to pass any of our courses. Find out what free software is available from the university.
• You will need to budget between £5–£50 to exhibit work for the end-of-year show. Fundraising by the student society, BIAAS, normally helps towards this cost.
• Most courses include mandatory site visits and travel expenses are included in the fees.
• There will be opportunities to attend additional study trips throughout the course but these are not required to pass your course. The cost of travel to them will be covered by the course but there may be additional costs varying from a packed lunch to entrance to a museum.
• International field trips are offered in each year which are optional and are not required to pass your course. You should expect to budget approximately £150–£350 for these, to cover flight, accommodation, food and entrance to museums. The total amount spent would be based on location and number of trips taken.

You can chat with our enquiries team through the Stay in touch panel at the end of this page if you require further information. Or check our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships as well as more information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status

Info

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2020–21.

Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and are subject to an annual increase of no more than 5% or RPI (whichever is the greater). The annual increase for UK/EU students, who are subject to regulated fees, will increase no more than the statutory maximum fee.

You can find out more about our fees in the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full-time or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

Local area

Campus where this course is taught

Accommodation

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